Partnership, power and policy : a case study of the Scottish Partnership on Domestic Abuse

Author:

Scott, M.

Awarding Body:

University of Edinburgh

Current Institution:

University of Edinburgh

Date of Award:

2006

Availability of Full Text:

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Abstract:

Violence against women (VAW) in Scotland has only recently emerged onto the national policy agenda, despite (or perhaps because of) three decades of work on the issue by feminist activists and organisations. Government responses to VAW increasingly involve calls for ‘joined-up working’ and public sector-voluntary sector partnerships, and the proliferation of these multi-agency bodies to address complex social problems such as child abuse and VAW underscores the need for enquiry regarding the processes and products of these bodies. What makes multi-agency partnerships work? Can they bring new, expert voices to the policy table? Can they nurture collaboration and broad ownership of policy implementation? This case study looks at the Scottish Partnership on Domestic Abuse. Set up in 1998 to define a national strategy for addressing domestic violence, the partnership officially ended its work in November 2000 with the presentation of the National Strategy on Domestic Abuse to the Scottish Parliament. The research focuses on the establishment of the Partnership in the context of an increasingly minimalist, differentiated system of governance and locates the Partnership at the intersection of devolution and 30 years of feminist activity on VAW. How new voices came to the table, Partnership processes for agenda setting and decision making, and the naming and framing of policy problems throughout the life of the Partnership – all emerged as important themes. Analysis reveals substantial increases in access to decision makers and policy networks and significant influence of the VAW sector on the national policy agenda. Less clear is the effectiveness of the Partnership in supporting innovation across resistant institutions such as the court system and the NHS, although these areas require longer-term study.